A blog for mothers

Anemia

I feel very virtuous. I brought a calorie-laden, comfort-food casserole that my husband made me for lunch today. However, I was health-conscious and instead went and got a spinach salad. Afterwards I raided the chocolate jar on my desk, so it was probably a wash as far as calories are concerned, but I am still basking in the glow of all of the wonderful nutrients that I just ingested.

Spinach, like most green leafies, is uber-good for you. It has lots of fiber, some protein, antioxidants, and is a good source for many vitamins and minerals, including beta-carotene, B1 and B6, C, and K. It’s also rich in iron.

Keeping iron levels up in women seems to be a chronic problem. Between blood loss from menstruation and the increased iron needs of pregnancy, it’s just hard for us to keep up. Which is a bummer, because taking iron supplements is a pain. They come in hard-to-swallow pills and they make you nauseous and constipated. Not fun.

That’s why I have decided to provide you with a helpful list of iron-rich foods, so that you can build up your iron stores in a pain-free way: